Dimmer for headlights.



J. W. HUNT.

DIMMER FOR HEADLIGHTS.

APPL'ICATION FILED AUG-3.1 1915.

1,167,824. Pat e nted Jan. 11,1916.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO.,WASH|NOTON, I:v c.

nivrrnn s'ra r 7 N QFFEQE.

DIMMEB FOB HEADLIGHTS.

Application filed August 31, 1915.

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a dimmer attachment for head lights, and is' more particularly adapted for use in connection with the head lights of an automobile.

One of the objects of this invention is the provision of a dimmer attachment for head lights provided with means whereby the same is capable of adjustment for adapting the attachment to head lights of varying sizes.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a dimmer attachment for headlights provided with means whereby the translucent member of the attachment may be readily inserted or removed for substituting therefor other translucent members of different colors, preferably ground glass, or for readily replacing the translucent member when damaged.

Another object of this invention is the pro vision of a dimmer attachment for head lights which is simple in construction, efficient and universal in use, and which .can be manufactured and sold upon the market at a nominal cost.

Other objects and advantages of thisinvention will be hereinafter more clearly set forth in the specification, defined in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the head lights of an automobile showing the invention in attached operative position upon the head light.- Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view, partly broken away, on line 22 of Fig. 1 showing the adjusted position of the bracket when the device is attached to a larger size head light. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, excepting the bracket of the device is shown in the reverse adjusted position which it assumes when the device is attached to a smaller size head light. Fig. 4 is a rear view of a portion of the attachment showing one of the means for retaining the translucent member within the attachment.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 11, 1916.

Serial No. 48,161.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section, showing'another form for retaining the translucent member in the at tachment. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section, showing another form for retaining the translucent member in the attachment. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail view showing another form for retaining the translucent member in the attachment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of another form of the brackets which may be employed. 7

Referring to the drawings, 1 denotes the lamp supporting fork, upon which is secured the ears 2 of the lamp body 3, in the forward end of which is mounted the glass 4 retained in position by the inwardly directed annular flange 5 of the securing ring 6, the latter being secured to the body 3 by the rivets or other suitable securing means 7 The annular flange 5 is semicircular in cross section which is the preferred form of flange now in common use, and upon the exterior surfaces of the flange 5 are arranged a plurality of brackets, of which two or more may be employed, but preferably three in number as illustrated in the drawings. Each of these brackets consists of the base plate 8 curved to conform to the curvature of the exterior transverse surfaces of the flange 5, the base plate 8 having formed therein the elongated slot 9, through which slot 9 and the aperture 10 formed in the adjacent wall of the flange 5, projects the securing bolt 11. At one end of the base plate 8 is formed the angularly disposed arm 12, having formed in its end, portion the bayonet slot 13. The bayonet slots 13 of the brackets receive the headed pins 14 arranged upon the periphery of the dimmer glass frame 15. V

The frame 15 is provided at its forward edge with the inwardly directed 'annular flange 16, the portion of the frame 15 adjacent its opposite edge being indented outwardly to provide the annular groove 17, which is preferably semicircular in cross section. The groove 17 is formed in a manner that its outer edge will lie in a plane with the inner surface of the frame 15. This arrangement admits of the dimmer glass 18 being readily positioned within the frame 15 and against the flange 16, in which position the dimmer glass 18 is retained through the medium of'the divided spring ring member 19jwhich is sprung into the groove 17 of the frame 15, and engages one of the edges of the dimmer glass 18 sufiiciently to retain the same in operative posi tion. The spring ring member 19 has its divided ends turned outwardly in angular relation to its body portion so as to provide the handles or finger grips 20, the lower portion of the outer edge of the groove 17 being cut away to provide the recess 21 to allow the passing of the finger grips therein in a transverse direction relative to the frame 15, so as to provide for the alinement of the ring 19 with the groove 17, and the manipulation of the finger grips 20 of the ring 19 when inserting or removing the dimmer glass 18.

In the construction shown in Fig. 5, the channel orgrooved portion 17 of the frame is not recessed as at 21 in Fig. 4, but in lieu thereof, the two adjacent apertures 22 are formed through the bottom of the channel 17, and through these apertures 22 the finger grips of the spring ring member 19 are passed which remain therein until it is desirous of removing the glass 18, whereupon the finger grips 20 are forced inwardly through the apertures 22 for removing the ring 19.

In the construction shown in Fig. 6, the body of the frame 23 is not formed with the groove 17 as shown in Figs. 2, 3, 1 and 5, but in lieu thereof, the body portion of the frame is indented outwardly to provide the notches or recesses 24, and in lieu of the spring ring 19 shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 5, the divided spring ring 25 is employed. The ring 25 has its divided ends turned outwardly in angular relation to its body portion to provide the finger grips 26 which designed to be passed through the adjacent apertures 27 formed through the body portion of the frame 23, the ring 25 being struck up at numerous intervals to provide the knobs 28, which knobs 28 are equal in numher to the number of indentations or recesses 2e: and register therewith, the knobs 28 adapted to be seated in the indentations or recesses 24 when the ring 25 is sprung into the frame 23 for retaining the dimmer glass 18 in secured operative position within the frame 23, the glass 18 being retained against a flange formed upon the forward edge of the frame 23 similar to the flange 16 of the frame 15 shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

In the construction shown in Fig. 7, the body of the frame 29, in which the dimmer glass 18 is mounted consists of a fiat circular strip provided at its forward edge withan inwardly directed annular flange similar to the flange 16 as shown inFigs. 1 to 5, but in lieu of the groove 17 and the ring 19 of Figs. 1, 2, 3, l and 5, or the frame 23 and the ring 25 of Fig. 6, the inner edge of the frame 29 is provided at intervals with the flexible lugs or lips as shown at 30 in Fig. 7. These flexible lugs or. lips 30 are adapted to be bent upwardly against the edge portion of the glass 18 for retaining the glass 18 within the frame 29 after the glass has been inserted within the frame 29, or these lugs 30 may be bent outwardly to admit of the removal of the glass 18 when desired.

The construction of the bracket shown in Fig. 8 consists of the curved base plate 31, the elongated slot 32, the angular disposed arm 33 provided with the bayonet slot 3 1, all similarly constructed to the brackets shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, with the exception that one side of the arm 33 is slitted for a distance and the edge bent outwardly at substantially right angles to the arm 33 to provide the lug 35, upon which is adapted to rest the inner edge of either the frame 15 of Figs. 1, 2, 3, 1 and 5 or the frame 23 of Fig. 6, or the frame 29 of Fig. 7, when the bracket of Fig. 8 assumes the position of the bracket shown in Fig. 2. The opposite edge of the arm 33 is also slitted for a distance and the edge bent inwardly to provide the lug 36, upon which is adapted to rest either of the above mentioned frames 15, 23 or 29, when the bracket of Fig. 8 assumes the position of the bracket shown in Fig. 3, the lugs 35 and 36 of the bracket shown in Fig. 8 being of a resilient nature efficiently aids in the retention of the headed pins 14: of the respective frames in the bayonet slots, and at the same time forms an additional support, as the case may be, for the respective frames carrying the dimmer glass 18.

The application and operation of the device is briefly stated as follows :VVhen applying the attachment to the head light of an automobile or other vehicle, either of the brackets shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or the bracket shown in Fig. 8, may be employed, and'either of the dimmer glass frames 15, 23 or 29 also used, which frames are preferably formed of a standard size. In applying the device to the head light, and assuming that the head light is of large size as illustrated in Fig. 2, the base plate 8 of the brackets are secured upon the flange 5 of the head light by the adjusting bolt 11 with the arm 12 of the bracket positioned in wardly and the dimmer glass frame 15, or the other frames shown, secured in the bayonet slots 13 through the medium of the headed pins 14. However, should the diameter of the head light vary somewhat, the base plate 8 of the brackets may be moved outwardly or inwardly upon the flange 5,

the elongated slot 9 in the base plate 8 allowing this relative movement, so as to accommodate the attachment to the varying assumed from the disclosure of Fig. 3, the

attachment may be readily adjusted so as to accommodate the same to this smaller size of head light, the adjustment being accomplished by reversing the brackets upon the flange 5 of the head light as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the base plate 8 being adj ustably secured upon the flange 5 in a manner similar to that shown and described in Fig. 2, the only exception being that the arm 12 of the bracket is disposed outwardly instead of inwardly as shown in Fig. 2, the frame carrying the dimmer glass being secured in the bayonet slots of the arms 12 of the brackets in a similar manner to that shown and described in Fig. 2, excepting that the frame carrying the dimmer glass is slightly rotated in the opposite direction, the adjustment of the bracket upon the flange 5 of the head light, in its reversed position as shown in Fig. 3, being accomplished in the same manner as the adjustment of the bracket in Fig. 2 to accommodate the attachment to the varying diameters of the smaller head lights.

In view of the fore oing construction, I am enabled to produce a dimmer attachment for head lights which mav be made of a standard size and by the novel adjustable features of the attachment, the same is capable of being applied or attached to any of the head lights now in use irrespective of size, and while I have herein shown and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, minor variations and alterations may be made therein from time to time without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a dimming device for head lights, the combination with the flange of the rim for supporting the front lens, of a dimmer adapted to be used on a flange having a greater or less diameter than the diameter of said dimmer, and means for mounting said dimmer on either of said flanges.

2. In a dimming device for head lights, the combination with the flange of the rim for supporting the front lens, of a dimmer adapted to be used on a flange having a greater or less diameter than the diameter of said dimmer, and reversibleand radially adjustable attaching members for detachably'mounting said dimmer on either of said flanges.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a head light, of a frame therefor, a dimmer member within said frame, means for securing said dimmer member within said frame, attaching members adjustably secured upon said head light and provided with seats, and means upon said frame for engaging said seats for mounting said frame and said dimmer member upon said head light.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a head light, and the glass retaining rim thereof, of reversible brackets adjustably secured upon said rim and provided with seats, a frame having means for engaging said seats for removably attaching said frame to said brackets, a dimmer glass within said frame, and means for removably securing said dimmer glass within said frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my JOHN W. HUNT.

Witnesses:

H. R. HOWENSTEIN, C. M. (Jonson.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

